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The Protein Brewery inaugurates pilot plant, begins producing Fermotein

The Protein Brewery, a microbial fermentation startup from the Netherlands, announced that it has both completed the construction of its first commercial production plant in Breda, Netherlands and that it has delivered the inaugural samples of its food grade, plant-based protein Fermotein to manufacturers.

Although this newly-opened plant is only a pilot facility, it is capable of handling the end-to-end processing of Fermotein, including raw materials, the brewing process, downstream processing, formulation and packaging for 100 kilograms per day. In the future, TPB anticipates scaling up its operation and has shortlisted three potential locations for a commercial demo plant in the Netherlands where production is expected to begin in 2022.

In the meantime, the Dutch company has already rolled out samples of its fermented protein to various food manufacturers with the intention of evaluating and tweaking the technical parameters of its equipment in order to ensure the optimal quality of its protein.

Fermotein is a protein produced by TPB’s fermentation technology and can be produced from a variety of globally available crops such as cassava, maize, potatoes, sugar cane and sugar beet. The flexibility of this protein allows manufacturers worldwide to make variations that are locally sourced and, therefore, more sustainable – a quality that is appealing to an increasing number of consumers. In addition to being an ingredient that can be made from a variety of crops, it is also one that requires only 1% of land and 5% of the water needed for traditional bovine husbandry. Additionally, Fermotein only releases 3% of the carbon emissions of beef.

With an impressive set of qualities to its name, Fermotein is striving to gain global attention despite not yet having a commercialized product available. At the same time that the startup is building its production facilities in the Netherlands, it is working toward gaining regulatory approval in the U.S. for use as a food ingredient.

Where TPB can already sell its fermented protein, it is looking to broaden the number of uses that manufacturers have for Fermotein. “We are ready to further explore our first market and demonstrate our food ingredient in various foods such as meat and fish substitutes, vegan snacks and many more,” said Wim de Laat, founder of The Protein Brewery in a statement.

To help scale its operations and manufacturing capacity, TPB will use the €22 million (US$26 million) of Series A funding that it received last December.